This comes after three cases of pertussis were reported in Rompin, Pahang, involving a mother and her two children.

Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said no new cases had been reported there and that all three patients were in stable condition. He also dismissed rumours of an outbreak.

“The health ministry’s priority is to ensure the pertussis immunisation coverage among children in Malaysia remains above 95% to ensure they are protected from infection.

“Children, especially babies, are vulnerable to getting infected with pertussis,” he said in a statement.

Pertussis vaccines were routinely given to children when they were two, three, five and 18 months old, he said.

Radzi said Malaysia recorded 329 cases and 23 deaths from the infection this year (until Aug 19) and that this was half of the 697 cases reported in 2019.

He added that the trend of pertussis cases in Malaysia was in line with global developments, as nations came out of Covid-19 lockdowns.

“Of the 329 cases reported so far this year, Sabah recorded the highest number of cases at 181, followed by Selangor (51), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (15), Pahang (13), Perak (13), Melaka (12), Negeri Sembilan (12), Johor (9), Sarawak (8), Kelantan (7), Kedah (3), Terengganu (3), Penang (1) and Labuan (1).

“No cases were reported in Perlis.”

Separately, health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the ministry was investigating the cause of the pertussis infection among the trio.

She said initial checks found the infection began from the mother, but further investigations were still under way, reported Bernama.

“Pertussis is present in the country and it has been classified as endemic,” she told reporters after an event in Putrajaya today.